


Breaking up and Making up

by ElectricDove



Series: Nothing Better [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe, Breaking Up & Making Up, College, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 16:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricDove/pseuds/ElectricDove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imagine this.. College Rhett and Link breaking up and making up.. (That's basically it!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking up and Making up

**Author's Note:**

> They talked about Matt and Zach as their replacement partners during college, so I thought it fitting to use these guys as stand in boyfriends when they break up.
> 
> This story is set some months after 'Following Rhett'.

“What the heck, Rhett! Why you always gotta leave your shit everywhere?! I almost tripped on your bag!”  
“Aaaw babe, come here. I’ll kiss and make it better.”  
-  
“Mmm you look good, bo. C’mere..”  
“Not right now, Rhett, I need to finish this project.”  
“Can’t it wait for a moment? I haven’t seen you all day and you look so hot when you’re studying..”  
“Not right now, Rhett! Jeez!”  
-  
“You ate all of the cereal?! I was gonna eat that! Dammit Rhett, why you always eatin’ all my stuff! You’re big enough already!”  
“I was hungry, man! Sorry okay, but I gotta feed my big body, I can’t help it!”  
“So what?! Stay away from my food!”  
“Come on babe, we live together. And you get lots of pleasure from this big body, don’t cha?”  
“Keep your big body away from me, I swear to God..”  
“I’m dead, bo.”  
“Rhett!”  
-  
“Slow down, Link! Why are you walking so dang fast?!”  
“I’m not walking fast! I’m hungry! Aren’t you hungry?”  
“Yeah, sure I’m hungry. But I can barely keep up with you, brother.”  
“Why are you even complaining? Your legs are like 2/3 of your body.”  
“So! That’s exactly my point! If I think you’re walking too fast, you’re really walking too fast!”  
“Screw you, Rhett!”  
“What? Come on, Link, no need to get mean.”  
“I’m mean? You’re the one that’s being unreasonable.”  
“You’re so grumpy, we’re always fighting lately..”  
“And who’s fault is that? You eat all my stuff, you’re all over me when I tell you to leave me be, you’re apparently not happy with my walking tempo! I am hungry and I don’t have time for this, I don’t want to talk about it!”  
“Well, If you hate it all so much, maybe we shouldn’t be together! You blamin’ me for wanting to spend time with you? I said sorry for the cereal, Link. And I just said you should slow down. No need to be so dramatic about it!”  
“I’m not being dramatic! You’re the one saying we need to break up!”  
“If you don’t like to be around me anymore and we’re fightin’ all the time, I don’t like to be around you right now. Maybe we should break up.”  
“Maybe we should.”

\- 

8 months together, 8 glorious months spend nearly inseparable and very much in love.  
Now they’re barely even speaking to each other and Link is not even sure they’re still friends anymore. He is pissed off, pissed off at Rhett for breaking up with him, pissed off at schoolwork for making him so stressed all the time, pissed off at himself for getting so carried away. It’s especially hard since he and Rhett are still roommates, he still has to see his ex-boyfriend every day.

It’s been almost a week after their first serious fight which resulted in Rhett breaking up with him. Link feels heartbroken, but has no absolutely desire to talk about it or even think about it. So he’s working extra hard on his schoolwork, glad for the distraction it brings.  
He stays away from their dormroom most of the time, choosing the library to study and as a place to hide. He only sees Rhett when the other man comes in late at night, going directly to sleep without even acknowledging Link’s existence. Every night he hopes Rhett swallows his stupid pride and apologise to him. He listens to the deep breathing coming from the bed below him as memories about them sharing that bed, sleeping close together, keep him up all night.  
He hates it, hates how it makes his chest ache and his shoulder tense up. He hates how much it breaks his heart to be away from Rhett.

\- 

Link sits frowning at an empty table in their student centre, spooning away a bowl of cereal while he leafs through his notes again. He looks up as a blonde haired man sits across from him, whom he vaguely remembers seeing around campus sometimes.

“Hi there. Mind if I sit here with you?”  
“Hey. No, sure, suit yourself. I’m uh.. Link.”  
“Yes, we have some classes together, I’m Matt. You’re also studying for Peterson’s quiz tomorrow?”

He’s surprised he hasn’t noticed Matt in class before. The blonde is good looking in a conventional way, with a pleasant face and a trim body. He reminds him of another blonde, who’s probably the reason he never noticed anybody else this past year.

“Yeah.. I feel like I won’t get any wiser from my notes. Must have been dozing off during one of his boring lectures.” Link looks down at his notes, his untidy scribbling making no sense whatsoever. 

Matt scoots his chair closer as he goes through his own pile of papers. He makes a triumphant noise as apparently finds the notes he’s looking for and gives Link a happy smile. 

“I happen to have very organized notes, so if you need them I'd be willing to share! You need to come over to my side of the table though, so we can go through them together.”  
“Thanks man! That’d be great!” 

He sets his half empty bowl at the other side of the table, next to Matt’s pile of papers and moves over to his side. As he sits down on the chair next to other boy, Matt moves his chair closer to him.  
Link smiles back a bit uncertain at the charming smile that Matt sends his way. He even tries not to notice the arm across the back of his chair and instead focusses on the notes in front of him. 

-

Rhett hates it, he hates fighting with Link, being away from him while everything reminds him of the beautiful man who used to be in every part of his daily life.  
But he still feels so angry at the other man, angry that he pushed him away and made him feel like he was the one being difficult. He’s convinced Link was unreasonable and constantly looking for a reason to fight. So he stands his ground, feeling justified in his anger and his hurt feelings. 

He can’t stand to be around his now ex-boyfriend and tries to stay away from their dormroom as much as possible. Most of his time is spent at the basketball court or the student centre, reading or just hanging out with fellow students. There’s one boy especially who joins him there all the time, laughing with him and urging him to do fun things together. Zach is a funny guy, always looking for something silly to do and in that he reminds Rhett of Link. His darkbrown hair and shorter stature complete the picture and he has to suppress the thought that he’s hanging out with substitute Link frequently. 

Zach is very honest and open in showing his interest in him, complimenting him and making up excuses to touch Rhett whenever he can. As flattered as Rhett is by the obvious flirting, he can’t shake the awkward feeling he gets every time Zach takes a step closer or looks at him with his bright green eyes.

It’s on a night when they’re laughing like little kids, as they’d blown up the microwave at Campbell Uni, that Zach kisses him.  
Rhett was feeling carefree for a moment, glad to be laughing about stupid things with someone who wants to share these moments with him.  
At the moment it turns into something he was not prepared for and the atmosphere changes into something heated, he doesn’t know how to respond. Rhett freezes for a moment, Link’s face flashing before his eyes, before he remembers that he’s not cheating anyone right now. It’s with some heavy pressure in his chest that he kisses Zach back.  
The thought that it’s the wrong brunet he’s kissing, doesn’t stop him from going through with it though. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be wanted and Zach seems more than happy to accommodate him.

-

Link is spending more and more time with Matt. At first they just met each other at the student centre to study, but after an awkward run in with Rhett he avoids going there now. It’s also not really necessary to study so hard anymore now that they're on a break from schoolwork. Still wanting to spend time together, Matt suggests they work out.  
A blush covers his cheeks, as Matt comments on how a bit of muscle would look good on his slim frame. His fingers linger for a long moment on his arm, just a tad too long to be a purely friendly gesture. Link’s not sure if he should be flattered or insulted by the remark. 

As Matt is standing over his sweaty body, encouraging him to push himself more, Link misses Rhett more than ever. The motivational words and intense eyes looking down at him help him to lift the heavy weights once again.  
Rhett would never push him to work out to look better, he's show multiple times just how happy he was with the way Link looked. The memories of Rhett’s soft loving eyes during their love making leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He has to move on, and since Rhett's no longer interested in spending time with him or even looking at him, Link feels like he should put some effort into looking good for someone else.  
Matt praises his newly gained muscle definition as he lifts the weights back up and it gives Link new motivation and a confidence boost. 

As he stands up, done with his routine for now, feeling weak and sweaty but good about himself, Matt grips his shoulders. His intense brown eyes find his own wide gaze as the blonde moves closer and kisses him.  
The kiss is fine, there’s really no reason to feel bad about it and Matt is a great guy. But the ache in his chest still throbs painfully, reminding him who his heart belongs to. 

-

“I have my room free tonight, if you want to come over?”

Rhett feels a cold chill on his back at Zach’s statement/question. He recognizes its underlying message, the implication that they will have the room to themselves to take things further. And he's been ‘together’ with Zach for a couple of weeks now, it's not an unreasonable desire of the other man to take things further. So far he’d been successful in postponing in what he fears to be inevitable. 

“I'm not really sure about that yet..”  
He surely isn’t ready to do anything more than kissing with someone who he’s not really that involved with. Rhett frowns as he sees Zach’s face go sour, clearly not expecting that answer. He falls back on his plea for sympathy. 

“I'm sorry, but ya know, I just broke up and I..”  
“It's been over a month, Rhett. You need to get that guy out of your head! I know the perfect way to do so.. C’mon, let me show you what a good time is. I can make you forget all about him..” 

Rhett is in no way ready or even willing to forget even the tiniest thing about Link.

“Sorry Zach, maybe next time?”  
He tries not to take the disappointed frown too personal and focusses instead on the tiny TV.

-

He's lying on the couch in Matt's room, with Matt again hovering over him. But instead of encouraging him to lift stupid weights, the blonde is trying to convince him to take off some of his clothes. So far Link's been successful in keeping on all of his clothes during their make outs in Matt's room and he has no plans to take them off anytime soon.  
He doesn't really mind kissing Matt and likes the attention the other man gives him. But it’s never really more than okay and it’s often that he feels the need to exaggerate his enthusiasm, to make Matt feel better.  
Taking off his clothes however is a whole other story because Link knows it will lead to other paths. And even thinking about taking that path with someone who's not Rhett makes him feel slightly sick to his stomach. So he's been making excuses whenever wandering hands find their way under his shirt or in his waistband. It doesn't mean Matt has stopped trying though. 

Feeling sick and tired of the other guys badgering, Link decides to make use of an excuse that he believes to be foolproof. Using his fake virginity will explain his reluctance and hopefully will stop Matt from trying to convince him to take things further than he’s comfortable with. 

“I'm a virgin..”

Matt stops kissing his jaw and moves his hands from Link's hips to the couch beneath him. He looks down in Link's eyes with shocked eyes. 

“I didn't want to tell you, but yeah.. I.. aah.. I'm kinda saving myself for marriage?” 

“You are?”

He likes the shocked reaction and especially how it makes Matt back off a bit. 

“I hope you don't mind.. I'm okay with kissing and stuff, but not really comfortable with going further..”  
“But you were together with your ex for 8 months?”

Link thinks back to his time together with Rhett, how they barely made it out off the bed on some days. He's made love to the tall man in so many ways, so many times. He tries schooling his features, not wanting his face to betray his thoughts.

“Yeah.. but we never did anything more than I’m doing with you now. I hope you're okay with this?” 

He uses his best puppy eyes and sticks his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. A relieved sigh escapes him at the small, chaste kiss Matt gives him. Link feels glad the subject seems closed for now.

-

It's tiring to act happy and in love all the time around Zach. It's becoming more and more clear he's in no way like Link and Rhett begins to doubt his decision to break it off with Link. Maybe he could have been a bit more thoughtful and caring.  
Zach is all over him all the time, acting almost like a lovesick puppy desperate for attention. Nothing like Link at all.  
Rhett misses the easy interaction he always had with Link. He misses how Links had always been his own person, but easily followed him everywhere. At least, how easy it had all been until the last weeks of their relationship.

-

Link is sore all the time. Since he told Matt the lie about his abstinence vow all the other man wants to do is work out all the time. Matt’s been giving him compliments about his toned arms all the time but he doesn’t really see any difference himself.  
And even worse than his aching muscles, is his craving for sex and intimacy. Link is really missing having regular sex and the closeness it brings. Sex with Rhett and cuddling in his bed for hours after was his favorite pastime. Matt touches him when they’re together like any other boyfriend would do, but it’s never the same.  
Link never knew he could be so horny and heartbroken at the same time.

-

It's been over two months since they broke up and somehow this is the first time all four of them are in the same room together.  
Link is at Greg’s party with his boyfriend Matt, trying to spot familiar faces in the crowded place. He's not watching where he's going as bumps into several people. One these anonymous people turn around unexpectedly, elbowing his drink to the floor. Link’s ready to yell at the guy for his stupidity but stops the moment he recognizes the tall figure.  
The young man that turns completely to apologise is instantly familiar and his heart swells with joy for a tiny moment. In that moment time seems to stand still as his eyes lock with Rhett's and all seems forgotten.  
Reality creeps back in however, as Matt's arm hugs around his waist drawing his attention away from Rhett. Link feels guilty as he looks into Matt's brown eyes, underwhelmed with how ordinary they seem in comparison to ever-changing grey eyes. 

Exchanging pleasantries and introducing their respective boyfriends is awkward and painful. A stupid joke falls flat and the resulting silence is even worse. Link makes a hasty retreat, dragging Matt to a point furthest away from where Rhett is standing with Zach. 

“Have you seen that guy? I can't believe it he's dating Zach West! He looks almost exactly like me.. Jeez!”  
Matt is looking at him with an strange look on his face, staring at him with serious eyes and not really responding to anything he's ranting about. Link's guilt is coming back again and he realizes it's not really fair to Matt to act like this. He can't help it that he's still hurting over his breakup with his ex boyfriend. He forces his most charming smile on his face, knowing it won't reach his eyes, but still trying to anyway. He places a light kiss on Matt’s cheek.

“Come on, let's dance. You wanna dance?”

While he drags Matt to the dance area, he tries to shake the tension from his shoulders. But even when Link is dancing close to Matt, throwing his arms around his muscled shoulders, he scans the crowd for another man. The jealous face of his ex-boyfriend is easy to spot, even without Rhett standing almost a foot above everyone else. It’s a face Link is so familiar with, one he sees every night he closes his eyes and goes off to sleep. Even the jealousy he sees there is nothing new, the memory of the night they’d finally gotten their act together still vivid in his mind.

-

Rhett feels miserable. He knows he can’t school his face and hide the jealousy he’s sure that’s written all over him. He clenches his hands into fists, before releasing them as Zach is trying to talk to him. 

“Was that him, the old me? Nothing too special from what I could see..”  
The stupidly confident statement really pisses him off and he has to bite his tongue to keep in the harsh retort he wants to make. Instead he only deepens his frown, while Zach slings his arms around his shoulders. Automatically he rests his hands on the other man’s hips, but they feel wrong. He finds Link’s dancing figure once again, cursing the blonde who’s holding the hips he should be holding in his hands right now.

“I need some fresh air.”  
He disengages quickly and looks around for the door that leads to the backyard.  
“You want me to come with you? Maybe find a quiet place for just the two of us?”  
He almost groans at the persistent pushing, not in the mood to reject his boyfriend with any care or make up excuses.  
“No, I’m really not in the mood right now. I’ll need some time alone.”  
Before Zach can come up with something to say, Rhett already turned around. Within seconds he’s out the door and standing on the back porch, all alone in the chilly darkness.

-

“Hey..”  
“Hey. You mind if I join you? It's kinda crowded in there.”  
“Nah sure..”

Link sits down next to Rhett, close together on the wooden deck. It's quiet for a short while as they both look into the dark sky, enjoying being kind of close together again. Link can feel Rhett's body warmth even as the man sits some distance away from him. He almost scoots closer, yearning for direct contact. After two months apart his body is screaming at him to get close, to touch Rhett, to feel the familiar warmth, to get reacquainted. But he knows he can't do that. 

Rhett's soft voice breaks his thoughts.  
“Do you remember all the parties we went to? Y'know when I..”  
“When you were trying to seduce me you mean?”  
A smirk tugs at Link's lips, of course he remembers.  
“Of course I remember Rhett. You dragged me to every party on campus! Trying to get me drunk so we could get off together.”

Rhett lets out a laugh at the truth of that statement.  
“Aah come on brother, don't make it sound like I forced you into it!”  
He can see Rhett wince at the familiar endearment, not used anymore now that they've barely been friends these last few weeks. 

“Nah, I was really into it, don't worry. Just as much as you, I guess. And I kinda liked seeing you so desperate for my ass.”  
“It's a very nice ass though.”

Link looks up shocked over to Rhett's grinning face and can't help but laugh at that. Soon he's joined by Rhett's laughter and his body instinctively leans closer to Rhett’s big frame. The lanky arm around his shoulder feels so good, familiar but thrilling, and he leans in more.  
They're still laughing as he lays down his head on Rhett's shoulder and locks eyes with familiar mercurial eyes. A split second later their laughter has stopped, hands have weaved their way onto familiar places as their mouths find each other in a passionate kiss. 

Link feels some of the tension in his shoulder dissipate as he feels soft lips moving against his own. He opens his lips a fraction and Rhett's eager tongue touches his own.  
The moan that escapes him is soft but in no way fabricated to make the other feel good. For a long moment Link lets himself get lost in the kiss, amazed by how good it can feel to kiss someone you love. 

He knows he still loves Rhett, of course he never stopped loving him. Even if he was really mad at him and is still a bit pissed the other man dumped him, he could never not love Rhett. And he now knows he can never replace Rhett or fill the place he's taken in his life with someone else. Thinking about someone else filling Rhett's place makes him think of Matt.  
Link breaks away reluctantly, only halting his retreat several times to kiss Rhett some more. He loves the quivering smile and desperate look Rhett's giving him.  
Before he can bring up their respective boyfriends, determined to do this the right way, Rhett interjects.

“Gosh Link, I love you so much.. I've missed you and I know this isn't fair to them but screw Matt and Zach and everyone else. I love you and I want to have you back. Will you please take me back, bo? I'm so sorry for everything, for being an ass and dumping you. I tried with Zach, but he was never you! Please let me make this right?”

The heartfelt words set loose something in his chest that's been bothering him for over a month. With it comes a flood of warmth, love and passion. Tears spring into his eyes and his goozle bobs up and down as he tries to swallow around the tightness in his throat.  
He tackles Rhett, jumping on his lap and bringing them both down to the deck. His hands seem to have a mind of their own as they find their way inside Rhett's clothes and only stop when they encounter warm bare skin. Link can't stop kissing every part of Rhett's face, only stopped in his wild pattern as Rhett grabs his jaw with a big hand and steers him back to his mouth. He shudders as another big hand lands on his lower back, pressing his body flush to the man lying underneath him.  
Panting for breath he lifts his head, ready to dive back in again, to never stop kissing Rhett ever again. But he's stopped by the hand that's still on his jaw.

“We better head home, right?”  
The dilated pupils and bright spots on his cheeks betray Rhett's arousal and Link is certain he looks about the same. He hastily nods his head and moves to stand up. The arm around his lower back tightens and he looks down again, a question in his eyes.  
This time the kiss is soft and full of love. It brings the tears back to his eyes and Rhett's face triples before him. He feels embarrassed as a couple of drops fall down onto Rhett's face below, but Rhett only moves to wipe his thumb over the liquid pooling on Link's lashes. 

“Let's never fight again, bo. I hate being apart from you. I love you too much.”  
His smile is watery and his voice unsteady.  
“I love you too, so so much. We'll never fight again!”  
Link knows the last part of his statement probably won't be true, of course they'll fight again and probably will have even bigger fights in the future. But he vows to never fight like this again, to never stay away from each other for so long. In the future they'll always work it out, no matter what.


End file.
